


Double Dare

by engine



Category: Runaways (Comics)
Genre: M/M, Pre-Slash, Teens being teens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-03-13
Updated: 2009-03-13
Packaged: 2019-09-28 20:09:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17189579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/engine/pseuds/engine
Summary: It started with a dare, as teen problems often do.





	Double Dare

**Author's Note:**

> originally posted on LJ.

It started with a dare, as teen problems often do. Well, not a dare specifically, but Molly bet him the last bit of her favorite cereal (and, well, his favorite too, he wouldn't lie) that he couldn't distract Victor from his research, and Chase was bored and thought it sounded like a fun challenge. Or something. Regardless, this was how Chase ended up, quite possibly more bored than before, next to Victor, who was simply sitting on his bed and reading a book. Chase wasn't even sure what it was about—something to do with electricity and circuitry, but it was really high level, and despite the studying he’d been doing, he wasn't anywhere near Vic's comprehension level.

Chase drummed his fingers on the mattress, and flopped down onto the bed. Victor didn't move, simply turning the page.

Chase sat back up, and tried reading over Victor's shoulder. Victor hunched over a bit more, obstructing his view.

Chase leaned in to try and make out the words. Victor's eye twitched, and Chase was sure he was getting to him.

"What the hell is your _problem_ , Chase? Don't you have anything better to do?" There it was—finally snapped. Chase smiled, smug, but simply shook his head. "Of course not. Why did I bother asking. You never have anything better to do." Rolling his eyes, Victor returned to reading his book, but there was no way Chase was letting go of a moment like this. Nuh-uh. It was too fun.

"Hey, just 'cause I don't have a hard drive for a brain doesn't mean I'm useless," he said, making a face that was only half successful—he was still grinning too much.

Victor didn't reply, and just turned back to his book. Chase frowned. That wasn't what was supposed to happen. Vic was supposed to make some sort of snappy come back and they would bicker until he ran out of the room and Chase had proof to show Molly. He really wanted to rest of that cereal.

So he did the next best thing: take the book away.

"Wha—hey! Chase!" Victor scowled, and reached for the book, but Chase just held it out reach. He knew it was a cheap shot, but hey, it was still a tactic to distract him, and Chase would take what he could get. Vic pinched the bridge of his nose and looked, overall, very annoyed.

"I win."

Vic rolled his eye. "What was it this time? Trying to get me to yell at you?"

Chase lounged back on the bed, flipping through the pages of the book, turning it awkward angles in an attempt to decode the nerd speak. "Nah. Molly bet I couldn't distract you from reading. If I did I got the last bit of her cereal. I expect you to be on my side when she asks, dude."

"Great, I'm glad I’m the source of so much amusement for you two." He shook his head a bit and plucked the book out of Chase's hands. "I'm just glad the dare wasn't like, to kiss me or something. Lord knows Molly would do something like that." Vic smiled a little, trying to find the right page in his book.

Chase blinked dumbly for a few seconds, before frowning. "I'll have you know I'm an awesome kisser. You'd be lucky to get a kiss from me." Vic's hands paused, and he gave Chase a look.

"Sure, Casanova. Whatever you say." He shook his head and laughed a little, which only caused Chase to frown more. "Besides, you'd never do it. Too scared, too homophobic, too—"

Sitting up in one fluid movement, Chase grabbed the book back out of Vic's hands, dropped it on the floor by the bed, leaned in, and kissed him. He wasn't, well, _you know_ , but he wasn't about to let Vic make fun of him, and he wasn't about to turn down a dare. Besides, it wasn't like either of them had ties to anyone. As hard as it was for Chase to admit it, Gert wasn't around anymore. It hurt, but it was true.

And Vic—well, to be honest, Chase still didn't know what Vic's situation with Nico was, but the thing with Lillie ended when they left 1907, so he didn't have to worry about that at least.

The best way to describe the kiss was awkward, and Chase knew it. He tilted his head and leaned on his hand, and Vic just kind of sat there, arms hovering where they were when Chase pulled the book away. There was kind of a train wreck feel to it, but it wasn't bad per se. Just, awkward. Sudden. Vic's hands moved to Chase's shoulders and pushed him away after a couple of very, well, awkward seconds. Chase noted he didn't exactly shove him away though, which, considering the situation, was kind of surprising.

"What are you doing," Vic said, more of a statement and less of a question. Chase shrugged.

"I don't back down from a dare." He licked his lips, frowning the smallest bit, but he didn't move away. It wasn't one of those moments where they both had some strange realization: far from it. Neither of them was really paying attention to the other's eye color or skin or hair. They were simply two very confused boys who didn't know what to make of the situation.

Neither said anything for about a minute, and neither moved away either. Victor's face was flushed red, and his eyes were staring down at the bed, moving back and forth while he tried to figure it all out. Chase wondered if it was kind of like those questions that shut his circuits down; he wondered if Vic could even figure this whole moment out. The thought made him smile and laugh a bit, which caused Vic to look up.

"What? What's so funny?" he asked, expression a mixture of confusion and annoyance.

"You just—you looked confused, kind of like that time I figured out what makes your robot-parts go on the fritz and your circuits shorted out," Chase said with a bit of a smirk, and Victor only frowned more.

"That was _really_ uncool by the way. Did I ever mention that?"

"Twice a day. At least."

Chase smirked; Victor frowned. For a moment they were quiet—and they both laughed a bit.

"This is definitely the most awkward moment of my life," Vic said, scratching the back of his head.

"Seriously, dude." Chase moved back and fidgeted a bit. "I, uh, should probably try to think things through more often."

"Yeah, you think?" Vic grinned and stood up, stretching his arms above his head. "We just. Won't mention this to anyone. Besides, you weren't that great of a kisser anyway."

"What? Hey! Unfair judgment, dude, unfair." Vic just laughed and walked out of his room, leaving Chase sitting on the bed dumbly for a moment, before he stood up and ran, stumbling, after him.

Back in the kitchen, Molly ate a bowl of her favorite cereal.


End file.
